Sprinter Sacre was a brilliant winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Sprinter Sacre has turned in an extraordinary performance to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase on day two at the Cheltenham Festival, stretching his unbeaten record over fences to eight. He was not hard-pressed to come home 19 lengths clear of Sizing Europe, a winner of this race in the past who had himself come here in excellent form as the winner of his previous five races.

Sent off as the 1-4 favourite, Sprinter Sacre cannot have made anyone rich with his widely anticipated success but he was warmly applauded by an appreciative crowd even as he rounded the home turn. His jockey, Barry Geraghty, sat motionless on him up the run-in rather than ask him to pull as far clear as possible.

There were a couple of awkward jumps during the race that drew nervous gasps from the crowd but the seven-year-old, blessed with a splendidly robust physique, never looked like falling. Even so, his trainer, Nicky Henderson, had plainly suffered badly during the race.

"That was probably the worst five minutes of my life," he said, "but it's over and it's what we all hoped to see.

"It does make you speechless. He's scary, but he knows what to do. I dont know why we have to worry but we do. Oh, it was hell. We've just got to keep him together, hold our breath and enjoy it."

While the trainer did not actually sound as though he had enjoyed it very much, his sentiments were echoed by Geraghty. "He's top class and hopefully he can stay right, we'll have a lot of years of him," the jockey said.

Sizing Europe appears to have run to his best form, having pulled a long way clear of the others at the point where Sprinter Sacre passed him. The runner-up then tired but managed to hold his position ahead of Wishfull Thinking and Sanctuaire.

The circumstances of the race will surely allow the official handicapper and ratings organisations like Timeform to improve Sprinter Sacre's rating, given how easily he has beaten a former champion who does not appear in decline. It is by no means impossible that Sprinter Sacre may now be rated ahead of Kauto Star, before he has even completed a full season out of novice company.

Henderson indicated the horse may have one more run this season at next month's Punchestown Festival in Ireland. Next season, he may at some stage clash with his stable companion, Simonsig, the winner of Tuesday's Arkle Trophy, though few in this crowd would fancy even Simonsig to beat him. One firm offered odds of 4-6 about Sprinter Sacre to win next year's Champion Chase, suggesting that the horse simply has to be fit enough to turn up.